Banished Villainess

33 : Shin Purpleton - Outside the Observation

“S-Surely, you jest, lady. I would never dare to betray…”

Assaulted by guilt, I lowered my voice so that Chloe would not be able to read my feelings but, she didn’t say anything and merely pointed at the brooch at my chest. Although not currently in use, I still wore the brooch to my chest like always.

“That brooch can record both sound and footage, right? Miss Momo was wearing the same thing…, I don’t believe so but, was she the one who ordered you to seduce me?”

“She was not!”

 Partly because I was flustered that she knew about the recording function, I could not maintain my composure upon hearing Miss Momo’s name mentioned. After plucking off the brooch, all including my upper coat off my body, my hands impulsively went towards Chloe’s neck.

“Miss Momo would never resort to such cowardly means! Don’t compare her to the likes of filthy noble like you!!”

“Hngg”

Upon seeing Chloe turning pale as she struggled to move, I promptly unhanded her and jumped back. Unhanded, she began violently coughing. I needed to skillfully deceive her away from her doubts but I ended up losing to my rage and confirmed them instead. Now, no words will convince her anymore.

“cough, I knew it, you do love Miss Momo as well… Then that’s all the more reason for you not to sleep with a woman you do not even love. You will just end up hurting yourself even more than me.”

“…Too late for that, my body had long been filthy as it is.”

Now that I’ve shown her my true self, there’s no need to keep up the polite tone when talking to her. As Darck had previously said, I had already sold off my pride and dignity away before Chloe even picked me up.

 “I don’t think so. If your heart is tainted as you claim, there’s no way you could’ve fallen in love with someone.”

“Hahaha, that’s a lot of talk from the one who was obsessed with his highness, Leddorio.”

“Yeah, that’s true. So maybe my feelings for his highness were merely admiration.”

I ridiculed her, implying that her heart is just as filthy, expecting her to get angry, but she quickly acknowledged it. Still, why on earth is this woman not running away from the man, who not only tried to rape her, but also almost strangled her to death?

“Aren’t you scared at all…, I betrayed you, attempted to rape you, and even almost strangled you to death.”

“Didn’t Miss Momo tell you before? You are a kind person, Shin.”

Those were the words that saved me, the exact words that made me fall in love with Miss Momo.  I thought that Chloe had hidden something in me with similar functions as the brooch, but on the second thought, magic items on that level aren’t so easy to prepare. Noticing my surprise, Chloe only revealed how she knew with a bitter smile.

“She told me about it herself, silly. She told me that you were a gentle person, and to stop making you do cruel things. I’m not one to talk but, the person who ordered Shin to steal my chastity must be quite the hopeless human being, isn’t he? Depending on the circumstances, he may be trampling on Miss Momo’s feelings.

“Ugh…”

“I don’t mind you betraying me because I only reap what I sow. But Miss Momo is not so heartless as to not get sad knowing that you betrayed your true feelings, right?”

As I was thinking that it’s truly possible that the two may have met without my knowing, Chloe, of all people, suddenly started throwing sound arguments at me. I couldn’t help but feel shame. She is right, the main purpose for the observation is for Miss Momo’s sake. Making Chloe fall in love with me and discarding her in despair were nothing but born out of the prince’s ego.

If Miss Momo were to know about the things that I could’ve done… it would have been much better if she only disdained me in return. But just thinking about the figure of Miss Momo glaring at me with tears in her eyes just made me despair. Telling her that it was all for her sake would hurt her even more.
 

“Raise your face, Shin.”

 Seeing me like that, Chloe picked up the brooch and threw it back at me. She has the same confident look in her eyes as she gazed at me, only that they were much more firm.  It was hard to look at the brilliance she emits.

 “I initially thought that the one who ordered you…was father but, now I can roughly guess who. Just observe as you have done so far. Oh, but you have to keep it secret that I know I am being watched.”

“What a naive woman, those who betrayed you will watch, waiting for the right opportunity to ruin you….. Or is it that you’re going to use me as a double agent?”

“I just don’t want to have problematic suspicions against me, so you don’t have to go that far. Rather, that alone would be enough to prevent false charges. So, are you surprised?”

“Same goes for m… I am the same lady. So I was right, my lady has been acting for that, isn’t she?”

Because Chloe never pointed out the vulgar tone that I have been using all this time, I reverted to my usual respectful tone. Maybe because she had already heard my true vocal tone somewhere, she knew that I was not seriously trying to seduce her. She laughed, not offering an answer, and began tending to the room partition while muttering about making one of the customer rooms vacant for herself.

(I see, I can no longer sleep in the same room with Chloe…)

 
For some reason, just the thought of that made my chest turn cold. In the end, I was not able to use the opportunity to entrap or take revenge against her. Although relieved that I avoided having to hurt Miss Momo,  I was still unable to find an outlet for my anger so I had the sudden urge to test Chloe instead.

 “Milady, If I— if I did forcefully crossed the line, would I have hurt you?”

“…I wonder? You have the same pretty face so that doesn’t really change my favor to you. Fortunately, though it’s rather strange to say that, I am currently single.  So whatever you have resolved yourself to do, I may have had accepted it.”

 Although that was quite a calculating answer, it was very much like her that I ended up laughing. If she had been the same as she was, she would have despised me and call me all sorts of words. But now she had completely changed after leaving the capital, and I had the sudden chill thinking that just maybe, she truly is a different person compared to before.

“Then maybe if I did better, there’s a chance that milady may have picked me as her lover.”

“Uhm, well, for now, that’s impossible. Just as you have said before, I’m too preoccupied with myself that I don’t have the leeway to fall in love. I guess the condemnation may have hurt me more than I thought, I’ve said all sorts of things but, it looks like I was truly seriously in love with Sir Benny. That’s why these new love that try to come just passes through the hole that it had left on my heart.”

As I teasingly told her that not really meaning it, she replied with a slightly troubled smile on her face. I grasped my clothe bearing the sudden assault of pain in my heart, hiding it behind the same kind of smile.

As I acted rather strange, Chloe told me she was sorry, although it was not clear what the apology was meant for. She put on her wig once more and headed outside the room afterwards. 

When I heard the sound of the door closing, I threw myself on the bed and put my hand over my face. I can still feel the warmth and fragrance that Chloe had just left on the bed. I couldn’t help but want to laugh like a fool, because in doing so, I can bear the cold drought that just passed through my chest.